NOTES FROM THE EDITOR

The Journal of Career and Technical Education can be obtained in both paper and electronic form. This Spring 2003 issue (19-2) marks the thirty-eighth issue of JCTE in print and the sixteenth issue currently on-line. The printed journal is mailed to members and other subscribers around the world and is indexed in ERIC. The electronic journal is available worldwide on the Internet and can be accessed at the following case sensitive URL:

Providing JCTE as an electronic journal as well as a paper one means a whole new set of responsibilities for the editor, one of which is making sure that the files are properly formatted in order to be converted to PDF and/or HTML. This also will call for authors paying closer attention to using the proper formatting features of the word processor. Prior to Volume 16, Number 2, the Journal of Career and Technical Education was published as the Journal of Vocational and Technical Education. These issues can be found at the following case sensitive URL: http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JVTE/

It would not be possible to publish a refereed journal such as the Journal of Career and Technical Education with a distinguished group of reviewers. I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank the following colleagues for giving their time and expertise in reviewing the manuscripts for this issue of the journal. If I have omitted anyone as an oversight, please accept my apologies.

Elaine Adams, The University of Georgia
Leonard Albright, Colorado State University
Steve Aragon, University of Illinois
Matt Baker, Texas Tech University
James Bartlett, University of South Carolina
Greg Belcher, Pittsburg State University
Debra Bragg, University of Illinois
Ted Branoff, North Carolina State University
Dan Brown, Illinois State University
Wes Budke, The Ohio State University
Phyllis Bunn, Delta State University
Penny Clark, Bowling Green State University
Patricia Coyle-Rogers, Purdue University
Jacquelyn Deeds, Mississippi State University
Chandra Elbert, Texas A&M University
Jack Elliot, University of Arizona
Cheryl Evanciew, Clemson University
Jim Flowers, North Carolina State University
Howard R. D. Gordon, Marshall University
Brad Greiman, University of Minnesota
Penny Haase-Wittler, SUNY (Oswego)
Helen Hall, The University of Georgia
Steve Harbstreit, Kansas State University
Betty Heath-Camp, Cornell University
Tracy Hoover, Penn State University
Dann Hussman, University of Nebraska
Richard Joerger, University of Minnesota
Jim Key, Oklahoma State University
Neil Knobloch, University of Illinois
James Lindner, Texas A&M University
Joyce Logan, University of Kentucky
Richard Lynch, The University of Georgia
Brenda Martin, University of Arkansas (Pine Bluff )
Jerry McMurtry, University of Idaho
Larry Miller, The Ohio State University
Rama Radakrisha, Penn State University
Donna Redmann, Louisiana State University
George Rogers, Purdue University
Jay Rojewski, The University of Georgia
Sheila Ruhland, University of Minnesota
Regina Smick-Assitono, University of New Hampshire
Daisy Stewart, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Wanda Stitt-Gohdes, The University of Georgia
Alan Truell, Ball State University
Keith Waugh, Southern Illinois University
Chris Zirkle, The Ohio State University

IN THIS ISSUE:

The JCTE includes articles on a variety of topics in career and technical education. This issue provides readers with articles emphasizing results of quantitative and qualitative research.

The JCTE includes articles on a variety of topics in career and technical education. This issue provides readers with articles emphasizing results of quantitative and qualitative research.

Richard Joerger shares results from a study where he determined the nature and impact of selected forms of beginning teacher assistance provided by school personnel to three consecutive cohorts of beginning or returning secondary agricultural education teachers. He presents some very practical recommendations for administrators, school personnel, and others involved in beginning teacher assistance programs.

Antione Alston at North Carolina A&T University offers results from his study on assessing the availability of instructional technology tools and the use of instructional technology tools, including computer technology, in secondary school agricultural education programs in North Carolina and Virginia. Dr. Alston is a young professor in the field of agricultural education with an interest in instuctional technologies. Pay attention as Dr. Alston recommends how agricultural education programs can be role models for state deparments of education in the area of instructional technology.

Through their study, Ernest Brewer and Jama McMahan Landers examine the relationship between job stress and job satisfaction among industrial and technical teacher educators. Anyone involved in teacher education today can sympathize with this article as we fall feel stress in our jobs at times. While the authors acknowledge that the design and response in the study was less than desirable, there is some food for thought we all should consider if we do not want to feel so stressed in our jobs. I think you will find this article interesting and refreshing to read.

The second article written by Richard Joerger is related to the first article in this issue. In this article, Joerger is determining the nature of selected teaching events as experienced by three consecutive cohorts of beginning secondary agricultural education teachers from Minnesota. Once again, Joerger presents some very practical recommendations for thise involved with the induction of beginning agricultural education teachers.

The article written by Sheila Ruhland, Carol Jergens, and Diane Ballard analyzes the impact of tech prep as a change agent for educational reform. This article describes what tech prep directors believe are factors which support tech prep as a education reform agent. It will be interesting to see the results of this study again in five years, as the authors suggest, to see if tech prep still has the same impact in educational reform as it does today.

The final article written by Neil Knobloch and Susie Whittington describes the differences between teacher efficacy of novice teachers based on levels of career commitment. Again, keeping with the theme of other articles in this issue, the implication are great for those who work with beginning teachers of agricultural education. Practicioners in the field will find the implication of this article helpful as they work with novice teachers.

Personal Note: It has been my pleasure to be the editor of the Journal of Career and Technical Education for the past two years. Though some issues were late in getting out, I believe an issue should maintain high professional standards, even if it meant being late for a month or so. Thank you for your patience in getting the issues completed and I thank everyone who submitted articles for consideration and those who served as reviewers. Without you, this journal will not be possible.

The Editor
Kirk A. Swortzel
December 2003

Note: In the last issue (Volume 19, Number 2), the author's name was misspelled on one of the articles. The correct article listing should have been:

Differences Between Faculty and Students' Perception of Recruitment Techniques That Influence Students to Attend Four-Year Automotive Programs ..................................... 7Gregory Belcher, Robert Frisbee, and Brian Sandford